


If Eli Were Here...

by TheLittleLostTimeLord



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, M/M, The Adventures of Ezra and Thrawn, thrawn doesn't know the word 'freckles'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 03:20:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18241340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLittleLostTimeLord/pseuds/TheLittleLostTimeLord
Summary: Ezra and Thrawn are stuck on their disastrous forced road trip. They have a tentative alliance. When Thrawn starts talking about his past Ezra think's he's lost his mind. But he hasn't.





	If Eli Were Here...

The makeshift transmitter exploded. Ezra wanted to cry. They had used the very last salvagable parts they had to make it. It had been their last chance at calling for help.

“Well done, Bridger.” Thrawn rolled his eyes before he continued carving into the piece of wood in his lap. “Now we’re really screwed.”

“Well I don’t see you helping!” Ezra kicked the smoldering rubbish.

“I’m not the one who decided to send us on a mystery hyperspace trip.” Thrawn didn’t look up.

“No but you did trade away the rest of our batteries for that thing!” Ezra gestured to the creature sleeping next to Thrawn.

“ _ Inti _ is a Ysalamir.” Thrawn stroked the ysalamir. “She is not a thing.”

Inti blinked her eyes open and gave a happy chirp to Thrawn before crawling up around his shoulders.

“Well I don’t like her.” Ezra had said as much many times. 

“Yes you do. I saw you playing with her a few nights ago. And she helps you hunt.”

“Because you won’t!” Ezra groaned. “Fine I don’t hate her.” 

Thrawn smirked smuggly. 

Later that night Ezra woke to find the space next to him empty. He waited a few moment before getting up to find Thrawn. He didn’t have to look far. The Chiss was staring up at the stars. Ezra was about to return to sleep when he heard the small sob. Next to Thrawn Ezra spotted one of the jugs of juice he’d been fermenting, empty.

“Oh great he’s drunk.” Ezra muttered to himself as he made his way over.

“Thrawn.” The Chiss didn’t react. “Mitth’raw’nuruodo.”

“Eli!” Thrawn turned to quickly and nearly fell over. When he saw Ezra he let out a small. “Oh.”

“Come on let’s get back to bed.” Ezra helped Thrawn back into their tent. 

“Your skin...it’s like his, but he has... _ tan'cohi _ ...face dots.” Thrawn poked lightly at Ezra’s face lightly. Ezra guided his hand away.

“Who?”

“My Eli.” Thrawn sighed happily. “My beautiful Eli.”

“I don’t know who that is.”

“He was the...smartest man in the whooooole empire. Krennic kept trying to steal him. Told him to...back off. He already had genius of his own.” Thrawn rambled.

Ezra had no idea what Thrawn was talking about or how to respond, but it seemed that Thrawn didn’t need him to respond.

“He was perfect!” Thrawn exclaimed. “We solved…...mysteries together. Nightswan and he doonium, so much...doonium! He took me to see art! ART!”

“That’s nice.” Ezra was a bit unnerved by how giddy Thrawn was being.

“Hey! You’re a Jedi!” Thrawn seemed to realized suddenly.

“Yes...I am.” Ezra confirmed, a bit worried Thrawn was going to fight him.

“I was in a bar fight with a Jedi once. Funny name...Skywalker! Like the little girls!”

Ezra was now pretty sure Thrawn was confused.

“I like the temple. Eli and I spent the night there once.” Suddenly Thrawn was sad. “Got in trouble for that. Was always getting him in trouble. Should have let him go back to Myomar. Didn’t deserve him.”

Ezra used the force to guide Thrawn into sleep and to ease his hangover the next morning.

After that night Eli became a regular part of Thrawn’s criticisms of Ezra. ‘Eli would have that done by now.’ ‘Eli would have known we needed more water.’ ‘Eli never would have poked that insect nest.’ ‘Eli never got me stung by dozens of angry bugs.’ Mixed in were declarations of how beautiful Eli was and how smart he was. Ezra dug through his datapad with all the info the rebels had on Thrawn but he couldn’t find the name Eli anywhere.

When Thrawn started to talk to Eli late at night looking up at the stars Ezra was certain he’d begun to lose his mind.

Then one day Ezra  woke to the sound of unfamiliar voices. A command was issued in two languages. Thrawn answered immediately, almost instinctively. He dragged Ezra out of the tent, smiling.

“Keep your hands where they can see.” He instructed as Ezra’s eyes adjusted to the light. Blinking he saw other chiss before him.

_ “K'isir tah tisut Ch'euhn? Sy Bisti?”  _ The leader of the group asked Thrawn.

_ “Nah nor _ Basic  _ vim ch'a euhn  _ Mando’a.” Thrawn replied.  _ “Ch'ah tuzir cssibovah.” _

_ “Csei csarcican't nah cart nasar.” _ The chiss said before taking out his comm and issuing an order.

“What are you saying?” Ezra asked impatiently. 

“He asked if you spoke Cheuhn or Sy Bisti. I offered to translate since you know Basic an a little Mando’a. He said there’s a translator on their ship.” Thrawn rendered before answering a question the other Chiss asked. “Mitth’raw’nuruodo  _ vim  _ Ezra Bridger.”

It only took a few more moments before a shuttle landed nearby to take them to the ship in orbit. Inti curled comfortable on Thrawn’s lap as they took off. 

Nearly the moment they were on board the ship a human threw himself into Thrawn’s arms. They stood there, foreheads pressed together speaking quietly for some time. Then the man turned to Ezra.

“That you for bringing my beloved home. I’m Eli Vanto.” 

“You’re real?!” Was the only thing Ezra could say.


End file.
